1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a plasmid autonomously replicable in a bacterium belonging to the genus Gluconobacter, which is an endogenous plasmid pAG5 of Gluconobacter oxydans IFO3171 strain and has a size of about 5.6 kb, and a shuttle vector which is constructed from the plasmid and a plasmid derived from a bacterium belonging to the genus Escherichia. The shuttle vector is useful for gene manipulation in a bacterium belonging to the genus Gluconobacter.
2. Description of the Related Art
Bacteria belonging to the genus Gluconobacter are industrially useful microorganisms. For example, they produce D-xylulose, xylitol and the like from D-arabitol. Gene manipulation techniques are one of the effective means for breeding of further superior strains from these bacteria. In order to perform such gene manipulation of Gluconobacter bacteria, it is necessary to first develop a host-vector system for an objective bacterium. Further, on the other hand, it will be very convenient if a plasmid vector which is replicable not only in Gluconobacter bacteria but also in other host cells such as those of Escherichia coli (such a vector will be referred to as "shuttle vector" hereinafter) can be obtained, when gene manipulation is performed in Gluconobacter bacteria.
Plasmids derived from Gluconobacter bacteria and vectors utilizing them have so far been reported in Hakkokogaku Kaishi, Vol. 61, pp.15-18, (1983), Japanese Patent Unexamined Publication [KOKAI] No. 59-162883, European Patent Publication EP 0381027, International Patent Publication WO95/23220 and the like. In particular, in Hakkokogaku Kaishi, Vol. 61, pp.15-18 (1983), it has been reported that Gluconobacter oxydans IFO3171 strain harbors one kind of large plasmid (about 26 mega daltons).